Selenium cell



H. J. KUCHENMEISTER SELENIUM CELL Filed July 6, 1928 Aug. 9, 1932.

muted Aug. 9, 1932 I I 1,370,313

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEINRICH JOEANNES Kfi'GEENMEISTER, OFBERLIN, GERMAN! SELENIUM CELL Application filed July 6, 1928, Serial No.290,781, and in Germany July 16, 1927.

The present invention relates to photoeleccells of this novel form andconstruction very tric cells and their arrangement, especially in small,also affords the advantage of disposthe reproduction of talking films.ing one or more of these cells according to The heretofore knownphotoelectric cells the invention inside a guide roller for the I which,for example are enclosed, as alkali tone film, between the axis ofsameand the metal cells, in glass bodies, or as selenium overlying film, orarranging the cells in an cells, as condenser cells, etc., carry thephotoequivalent manner such as is below described, sensitive layersubstantially in the center in the picture opening itself when thephonothereof, and experience has shown that they gram is illuminated bytransmitted light.

'" cannot be brought into the immediate vicin- This affords a simple andpracticable possiity of the controlling phonogram. bility of providingtone records between the According to my invention,'for example inperforations of the picture film, without subthe production of seleniumcells of the constantially affecting the size of the picture, densertype, the pieces of metal foil are super-- and to impress the photocells in a perfect imposed transversely or at any other convenmanner asregards tone.

ient relative angle and interleaved 'with It is within the Scope of theinvention to sheets of insulating material, so as to provide provideseveral surfaces, abutting to form an a condenser edge on which thephotoelectric edge, in such cells with a photoelectric layer, layer (forexample the selenium) is applied and to impress simultaneously two ormore in a suitable manner. The light sensitive maphonograms (which maydifier from one anterial is deposited on two contiguous faces of other)on both sides of the edge. If, for exthe stack containing the edges ofthe sheets ample, phase-displaced phonograms of a.

of metal foil and insulatingv material, and piece of music come intoaction on the cell up to the common edge of these sheets; The from twosides, this diminishes the specific advantage of this new arrangement,apart electric action required per square inch of the from thepossibility of keeping the cell down photoelectric material, and thusimproves the to very small dimensions, consists in that a tonereproduction, the time lag of the phototone photograph, recorded forexample on electric material, which exists to a certain exa film, can begone over with the edge of the tent, entering into this process.According cell, in extremely close juxtaposition-for exto the invention,it is allowable to impress 8 ample a fraction of the usual distance. Thelight upon the cell unit at several points, and electrical behavior ofsuch cells is also exceedthe light and shade impulses to act in cominglyfavorable, since the dimensions of the mon, for example through the sameamplicondenser surface can be calculated with the fier, or through otherseparate connections.

35 greatest ease from the accurately ascertain- Typical'embodiments ofthe invention are able overlappings of the conductive foils.illustrated, in perspective in-the accompany- Moreover, it is possibleby combining, for ingdrawing in which:

example three groups of foil in a cell, to pro- Figure 1 is a plan'viewshowing the manvide three independent impression edges. ner ofassembling the condenser sheets em- Such cells, rotatably or fixedlymounted in a ployed in the selenium cell of my invention; aring, assurea precision of adjustment Fig. 2 is an end view of the cell illustratedwhich could not hitherto be obtained with the in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 showsthe relation between known means, and consequently a considertheselenium. cell of my invention and a film F able improvement in thequality of the tone moving mechanism; Fig. 4 illustratesamodireproduction is attained. The inevitable, fied arrangement of filmmoving mechanism even though slight, dispersion of the depictwithrespect to a plurality of selenium cells ed light gap, in the caseof-anylens, can have arranged according to my invention; Fig. 5 itseffects greatly minimized by making the is a theoretical viewillustrating the manner angle of the sensitive edge as acute as possiinwhich the angular position of the selenium ble. The aforesaidpossibility of making the cell may be changed with respect to the soundrecord on the film; Fig. 6 illustrates the position of a selenium cellwith respect to a sound record on a film where the apex of the condenserplates is directly presented to the action of light rays passing throughthe sound record on a film; Fig. 7 is a plan view illustrating'thearrangementof light sensitive cells with respect tothe sound record on amotion picture film arranged in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 8is a perspective view of the selenium cell of my invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, Fig. 1 shows how the severalcondenser sheets a and b are superimposed, the sheet a crossing thesheets I), for example at right angles. The edges 0 and d beingaccurately trimmed, it is always possible to keep the capacity areaformed by the. overlapping of a and b in the manufacture of these cellsexact. The several condenser sheets can be secured together by screwspassing through an aperture 6. The dotted line representing acontinuation of the edge of'sheet a indicatesthe possibility of formingan additional cell edge.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the cell, a and b are the condensersheets, which are spaced and insulated from each other, by micainsulating plates f and g. The edges 0 or d are provided with aphotosensitive layer.

Fig. 3 represents a guide roller is for tone films, on which the tonefilm Z is guided over pins r. As can be seen from the figure, the

cell m can be disposed in close proximity to the phonogram. This isbecausecontrary to the usual design-the tone drums are perforatedimmediately behind the guide pins'r, so that the projecting portion ofthe edge of the film can be illuminated by transmitted light. Thisaffords the possibility of reading off the phonograms, recorded on theouter edge of the film, by means of the cell of my invention withoutloss of room or space.

Fig. 4 represents a tone film guide roller 01 which is mounted on astandard 0, and its aXis passes through a bearing 19. In the interior ofthe guide, roller n, that is, in a groove which extends substantiallyover the entire surface between the perforations, are disposed two cellsm and MP. A tone film l is provided, inside the perforations, with twotone records 7' and j extending parallel between theperforations. Thelight rays from two sources of light g and g are able to actindependently on the cell through the film.

Fig. 5 represents the edge of a' cell, which is exposed to the action.of a source of light q through a film l. The position indicated bydotted lines denotes that the cell can be turned on its axis 8, by whichmeans the area of the sensitive layer exposed to the light rays can bediminished as required and, on occasion, reduced to a thin line.

Fig. 6 is a section of a photoelectric cell,

- arrangement of in which the photoelectric layer is applied to theedges 0 and d on both sides of the edge h.

With this arrangement it is possible, for example, either to impressvariations 1n light solely on the edge It making, as it were, a cellformed of only one sharp line, or, by means of several phonograms t, '0,and corresponding optical devices, to impress variable light upon thelayers 0 and d simultaneously, but differently.

Fig. 7 shows, as a further example, the a cell when the phonogram isreproduced in the picture opening. This opening is provided with anaperture 8, through which the phonogram jarranged, for example, betweenthe perforations-is illuminated in order to impress variable light uponthe cell on, which, in this arrangement, is disposed in such a mannerthat the selenium edge It lies as a line parallel to the markings on thephonogram.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the selenium cell of my invention.

I claim 1. A photoelectric cell comprising a stack of a multiplicity ofalternate layers of conducting material and insulating material ofpolygonal shape, alternate conducting layers being conductivelyconnected together, said stack having two contiguous faces extendingnormal to each other and coated with light sensitive material up totheir common edge, and means for angularly adjusting the position ofsaid cell for laterally shifting the junction of the edges of said stackand rendering either edge thereof effective to the action of variablelight rays.

2. In a photoelectric cell, a multiplicity of alternately arrangedconductive and dielectric sheets, the alternate conductive sheets being.conductively connected together, said conductive sheets terminating inedge portionsextending normal to each other and which are angularlyadjustable with respect to a path of light rays, the edges of saidconductive sheets being coated with light sensitive material, thejuncture of said edges of said conductive sheets being shiftable toselected angular positions with respect to a beam of variable lightrays.

3. In a photoelectric cell, a stack of a multiplicity of alternatelyarranged conductive and dielectric sheets, two contiguous faces disposedsubstantially at right angles to each other, a light sensitive coatingon said two contiguous faces up to their juncture, and means formounting said stack for angular movement for shifting the juncture ofsaid faces to selected angular positions with respect'to a path of lightrays.

4. A photoelectric cell comprising a pair of pressure plate members, aplurality of rectangular strips of conductive and dielectric materialalternately disposed in superimsaid stack having posed position betweensaid pressure plate members, the edges of said strips being alignednormal with respect to each other adjacent one corner of said pressureplate members, light sensitive material carried by the adjacent edges ofsaid strips and pivot means. extending through said ressure platemembers clear of said stri Ear angularly shifting the juncture of saiedges laterally 10 with respect to ra s of 1i ht focused thereon. Intestimony w ereof afiix my signature.

HEINRICH JOHANNES KUCHENHEISTER.

